If Olympus Mons definitively the tallest / largest mountain in our solar system, how do we know the gas giants don’t have similar or larger mountains underneath their thick atmospheres?
In: 583
Mountains are like bumps on our planets “skin”. The problem is there’s a massive force called gravity wanting to drag those bumps down because extra mass means the force is greater at the stuff on the bottom.
Mars being smaller and having less gravity means it’s a bit easier for a mountain to form larger.
But the converse is also very likely true as well and the solid portion of a gas giant is likely extremely dense meaning a huge force of gravity pulling it down. This means mountains would have a hard time forming on the solid portion. Not to mention the storms likely buff the surface pretty smooth into a endless cycle of growth and essentially sandblasting
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